He's Ours
by MysteryWriter2187
Summary: Set one week after HTTYD2. When Hiccup and Astrid decide to ask for Valka's blessing, Toothless becomes worried about his best friend's new commitments and their friendship. Ruffnut claims she can help him after she and Eret "break up" and she has her heart set on someone else. Sequel to He's Mine and a longer, canon-compliant remake of my first HTTYD one-shot. Toothless POV.
1. Adjustment

**_"This was my father's betrothal gift, to my mother… um… and he gave it to me… to give to you. Astrid, you're a part of our family. You always have been and… I hope you always will be."_**

 _"I… I didn't get you a gift. I don't know what to get, or…"_

 _ **"But you did. Astrid, you got me the greatest gift in the world… you… you, just being here, with me, is the only gift I need..."**_

* * *

It seemed just a minute ago, Hiccup and I were still having fun down on _Itchy Armpit_ and exploring the world, but now all of a sudden he was Berk's chief, I was the Alpha dragon and we both had _a lot_ more responsibilities to take care of.

Dragons are simple creatures, so being the Alpha wasn't actually as stressful a job as I'd initially expected. The babies were still an issue, but this was a quiet morning and the infants were all fast asleep after a night of causing their usual chaos. So I was just sitting in Gobber's blacksmith stall, taking a well-deserved nap.

I wasn't alone, though, since Valka was sitting at the desk, trying to design a new saddle for Cloudjumper. Neither of them had been a fan of the typical saddles Hiccup had designed, so Valka was simply scribbling down ideas on the paper for the ideal saddle for her beloved companion.

Hiccup was up as well, but he was outside trying to settle another dispute between Bucket and Mulch. To be honest, I almost wished we went back to Gobber's methods of just giving them weapons to settle it themselves. But I digress. Hiccup was distracted so I had to keep his mother company, though I noticed her face light up a bit as we both saw the familiar blonde girl stepping into the stall with two straw baskets.

 _"Morning, Valka…"_ Astrid said as she put one of the baskets next to me, and it was only a whiff that I needed to inform me that it was filled with delicious, freshly caught fish. I began eating as Astrid brought the other basket over for Valka. It had breakfast in it for her as well, though I have to assume that Astrid herself didn't make it after her Yak-Nog Incident at our first Snoggletog.

Since she came home, Valka was taking some time to get used to Berk again. She'd spent so long in the Bewilderbeast's ice sanctuary that she'd practically _forgotten_ how to live amongst humans, even with the adjustments they had made to Berk after Hiccup and I ended the war. With Hiccup running the village, Astrid was there to help Valka reintegrate herself into human society.

They got along like a house on fire, and both Hiccup and I were glad of it, as I'm sure Stoick would have been. And with Hiccup and Astrid betrothed, I'm sure Valka was glad that her new confidant was soon going to be a permanent part of our family. They both watched in amusement as Hiccup began to lose patience with Bucket and Mulch's petty squabbling, though he briefly turned to us all with a grin forced onto his face.

 _"Hiccup's a little, uh… a little stressed out today, huh?"_ Astrid scoffed as Bucket and Mulch finally stopped bickering and got back to work, leaving Hiccup pinching the bridge of his nose. Valka nodded, taking her attention away from the saddle she was drawing before saying "aye, _well..._ he just loves his village and his people. Just like Stoick did."

 _"Yeah, I know…"_ Astrid said as they both watched him walk up to the Academy. Looking at Valka's face, it seemed that she wanted to say something, but was reluctant, or even _scared_ , to do so. Eventually, she cleared her throat and said _"but you know, Astrid…"_

"What?"

"Well, it's been on my mind for the last week, but, um… I've not been sure who to say it to…"

"What has? You know, you can, uh… you can tell me _anything_ , Valka…" Astrid said as she sat down and gently took her future mother-in-law's hand. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd have done the same if she had already known what Valka was going to say to her.

"I remember, just after Drago disappeared, when you and Hiccup had that little, um… _victory kiss…_ "

 _"Oh yeah?"_ Astrid answered, her face blushing slightly red at the memory. Valka continued with "it sort of put a wee thought into my head about how to help him handle his new job as Chief…"

"And what's that, Val?" Astrid asked. It was the first time I'd ever heard Astrid call Valka by Stoick's affectionate nickname, _Val_ , but I guess since Astrid was basically part of the family at this point, what was there to stop her?

As it turns out, there _was indeed_ something that could stop her, as Valka sighed and said _"well, it's just… I think it's about time that my boy had **a woman** in his life…"_

Both Astrid and I went frozen and wide-eyed as she said this, since something had just dawned on us that should have been blatantly obvious: _Hiccup **hadn't** told Valka he was betrothed yet._

I looked up worryingly at Astrid, expecting to see her disappointed yet tranquilly angry face that she normally pulled in these situations. She was certainly _shocked_ still, but it didn't seem to be an _**angry**_ kind of shocked. More like a **_pleasantly surprised_** kind of shocked.

 _ **"Something wrong, dear?"**_ Valka's voice suddenly cut the silence and snapped Astrid out of her brief daze. She shook her head, saying _"oh, right… uh, yeah… everything's perfectly fine. Great, in fact… I, uh… I gotta go and, uh… take care of a couple… I'll see you later, Valka…"_

 _"Goodbye, love…"_ Valka said warmly as she went back to working on the saddle design. I followed Astrid out of the stall as she ran up to the Academy where Hiccup was going to be. I wasn't sure how she was going to react to the news, or lack thereof, but I wasn't going to miss it for the world.


	2. Fantastic

Hiccup was sitting on the bench in the empty Academy, obviously enjoying the first and possibly only bit of peace and quiet he was going to get all day. I was fairly certain that he was not expecting Astrid to walk up to him, with that familiar scowl _finally_ visible on her face.

 _"Oh… hey, guys..."_ he said in his usual tone, before his face dropped a bit with concern as he said _"Astrid? What's wro- **AAAH!** "_

When she shoved his chest hard with both her hands, he fell back over the bench, landing on the floor as she shouted _**"you didn't tell your mother about us?!"**_

I sat back to watch the show as his eyes widened at her revelation, slapping his hand hard against his forehead as he groaned _"oh, Gods… I completely forgot about that… **oh crap, that came out wrong!** "_

 _"Oh, you **forgot** , did you?"_ she answered back in a patronising tone with a mischievous grin on her face. Hiccup was clearly dreading whatever was about to happen, and tensed with his eyes shut to await the seemingly-inevitable rant or beating.

I couldn't help but wince in anticipation as Astrid grabbed Hiccup's collar and pulled him to his feet, though I was quite shocked when she then grabbed both of his cheeks and pulled his lips towards hers in a passionate and surprisingly tender kiss. When they separated, Hiccup was clearly just as confused by this, saying _"wait… what? **OW!** "_

Astrid gave him the usual punch on the shoulder, though for a fresh twist this one had come _after_ the kiss, before suddenly bursting with laughter as she held her hand to her face. Hiccup glanced at me, before turning back to her as he said _"you're… you're not... you're not mad?"_

 _ **"What?!** Hiccup… this is **fantastic!"**_

"Uh… it is?"

"Hiccup, since we got back here, your mom and I, we… we have gotten along _so great…_ " Astrid was gushing warmly as she held her hand against her heart. "And all this time, I… I thought she was just being nice for you, but… **_but she wasn't!_** Hiccup, she loves me like her own daughter, and she loves me for _**me!**_ "

 _ **"Aw, Astrid, that is great!"**_ Hiccup said as he threw his arms around her and pulled her close, both of them practically shrieking with excitement as they hugged tightly. When they pulled apart, Hiccup was finding it hard to breathe as he said _"oh, Gods… I'm just so glad… just so happy this is all coming together so well… alright… alright, let's go tell her now!"_

 _ **"NO!"**_ Astrid suddenly snapped, prompting a confused look to fall on Hiccup's face as he said "what? Astrid, I thought..."

 _"No, I uh… I just thought… well, maybe…"_ Astrid stuttered out awkwardly, putting her forehead on Hiccup's chest while stifling laughter as she said "what if we _surprised_ her?"

" _Surprised?_ You're serious?" Hiccup asked with a brow raised. Even I couldn't help but question Astrid here. It wasn't necessarily a terrible suggestion, in fact, I was sure it would be quite enjoyable in practice, but it was one I'd have expected from someone like Hiccup rather than someone more level-headed like her.

 _"Yeah… well, no, I just… ugh…"_ Astrid was still amused at herself, but she calmed down a bit more as she said "look… I just thought, with your dad's memorial tomorrow night… your mom's not gonna be exactly cheery…"

"Hm… she won't be the only one…" Hiccup said. I was _**crushed**_ by the solemn tone he said that in, though he still took the time to grin weakly at me. Even after all that had happened, all that I'd done, he refused to blame me or hate me. Though he still missed Stoick. We _all_ did.

Astrid cupped his cheek, looking in his notably sadder face as he forced a smile back and said _"well, I uh… by all means. I think it's a great idea, Astrid…"_

She nodded silently, before pulling him into a softer, more comforting, even _motherly_ embrace. They stayed here for a few moments, just letting each other's company be their only comfort, though I noticed Hiccup's eyes roll as the silence was cut through by a commotion outside.

 _ **"I'm sorry, Ruffnut! You're a lovely girl, but you're also a nutter! Now get away from me!"**_

It was Eret's voice, because _of course_ it was. Hiccup groaned more audibly than I'd ever heard him groan before, turning to Astrid and saying _"sorry, I just… I gotta go take care of this… I'll see you later, Astrid…"_

He kissed her lightly on the lips before rushing out to do his chiefly duty. Astrid sighed a bit as she leaned on me and rubbed my head affectionately. _"This is gonna be great, huh, Toothless? Valka's gonna love our surprise…"_

At this point, I was just as excited as Astrid was, though after hearing Hiccup's distressed voice outside I realised he may have been in need of my help. So, after Astrid nodded knowingly at me, I quickly ran out of the Academy to my boy's aid. Though if I'd known then what was just about to happen because of my involvement, I can't help but feel that I'd have just stayed with Astrid.


	3. Accident

_**"Ruff, for Gods' sake, just leave him alone!"**_ I heard Hiccup groan, pinching the bridge of his nose as I came over to see what the fuss was about. Eret was struggling to get away from Ruffnut as she lay front-first on the ground with her arms wrapped around his leg.

 _"I can't help it!"_ Ruffnut said. _"I need a man in my life!"_

"Ruff, I thought you were obsessed with Snotlout and Fishlegs now..." Hiccup snarked, crossing his arms in annoyance as he leaned on me.

 _"All they care about is their stupid dragons now!"_ Ruffnut complained as she refused to release him. _"Eret's the only good man left on this whole island!"_

"Pah! I'd pick _Skullcrusher_ over you without a second thought…" Eret snarked, prompting Ruffnut to gasp loudly as even Hiccup went wide-eyed. I wasn't entirely sure if he meant he'd pick Skullcrusher in terms of simple loyalty or if he really _was_ comparing Ruffnut's advances to interspecies breeding, but regardless of what he meant, she'd clearly taken grave offence to his joke.

 _ **"You ungrateful son of an Eret!"**_ she shrieked furiously as she yanked his leg, causing Eret to land hard on his back as she sat on his front, slapping him wildly. Hiccup sighed again, before running over to try and get Ruffnut off of Eret, though his efforts were clearly in vain.

 ** _"Toothless! Little help here, bud!"_** he called to me, prompting me to roll my eyes before getting involved. I turned to Gobber's stall to notice that Valka watching the scene from the open window. She had been alerted to the commotion by Ruffnut's war-cry, so she hadn't noticed her fawning over Eret before Hiccup arrived.

Eventually, Skullcrusher arrived to defend his master from further harm, gripping the back of Ruffnut's vest and dragging her away. Ruffnut continued screaming and kicking like a spoilt child as she was pulled, halting her tantrum when Skullcrusher flew up to one of the new perches we had installed a few days before and latched her onto it, before flying down to Eret as they both went home.

 _ **"UGH! I hate boys!"**_ Ruffnut screamed from the height. _**"Screw you, Eret, Son of Eret!"**_

Hiccup and I looked at each other, exchanging a frustrated sigh before he called up _"alright, don't worry, Ruff… we're gonna get you down from there…"_

 _ **"Oh, just leave me up here to die!"**_ Ruffnut snapped, still sitting on the high perch. _**"Nobody on this island respects me, Hiccup! No one even cares about me!"**_

 _"Aw, come on, Ruff. You know that's not true…"_ Hiccup called back, sounding genuinely comforting. To be honest, neither of us would be entirely surprised if it was, but Hiccup's always been a naturally caring person, and being the chief only enhanced that. _"I… I uh… oh Gods… **I** care about you, Ruff!"_

 _"You do?"_ Ruffnut said as she went wide-eyed. I noticed Valka go wide-eyed as well, before leaning a bit closer through the window to keep watching. I rolled my eyes, before spitting out a plasma blast into the foot of the perch, causing Ruffnut to come plummeting down screaming towards the ground. _**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

 _ **"RUFF!"**_ Hiccup cried out as he ran under her with his arms out. Ruffnut landed hard in his arms, her weight and momentum causing Hiccup to fall back with a grunt as several pieces of metal and glass fell around them. Valka looked with concern, nearly running outside to attend to them, before she noticed Hiccup sit back up, still holding Ruffnut in a bridal carry.

He was winded by the landing, and slightly dizzy, but he managed to say _"Ruff? Ugh… Ruff, are you okay?"_

Ruffnut looked up at her rescuer with longing, loving eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck like a damsel saved from distress, a grin on her face as she said in a dazed voice _"I am now…"_

"Well, that's good…" Hiccup said ignorantly, before Ruffnut suddenly grabbed his cheeks and aggressively pulled his lips to hers. I noticed Valka grin proudly as this happened, but I wasn't really thinking about the conclusions she was coming to at this point. Ruffnut's kiss lasted about five seconds, and Hiccup clearly didn't enjoy a moment of it, gasping for breath as she finally let him go.

 _"See you round, handsome…"_ Ruffnut said with a seductive smile stretched across her mouth as she patted the side of Hiccup's face affectionately before getting up and running home. It seemed, with Eret not interested in her and Snotlout and Fishlegs focusing more on Hookfang and Meatlug, Ruffnut had found a new boy to obsess over. And it was none other than the chief of Berk himself.

I helped Hiccup to his feet, or foot, since I could tell that he was nearly collapsing with exhaustion and it wasn't even noon yet. He patted my face, saying _"thanks, bud… I gotta… I think I've just gotta go back to the house for a break, huh?"_

I nodded, and we both walked through the now peaceful village up to the Haddock family house. He opened the door as we walked in to the seemingly empty home, walking up the stairs to the bedroom as I followed close behind in case he fainted.

I was looking at the empty living room as I walked up behind Hiccup, remembering the time when he'd first woken up without his leg yet the biggest surprise seemed to be that I was in the house with him. It seemed like only yesterday, yet we'd come so far. I was distracted from this thought when I bumped head-first into Hiccup's backside, the latter having frozen briefly after opening his bedroom door. His initially shocked face turned into a smile as he said "well… this is a surprise…"

 _"The nice kind?"_ I heard Astrid say smugly as Hiccup finally walked into the room to give me a good view. She was sitting in the bed on top of the covers, using her elbow to prop up her lower half as she lay seductively like a goddess in a painting. She'd taken her skirt and fur hood off, so she was wearing only her red shirt with her black leggings and furred boots. _"Well… hm… how do I look?"_

"Amazing..." Hiccup said warmly, before adding "and the necklace looks perfect…"

I blinked a few times as Hiccup said this, my eyes widening as I noticed Astrid was indeed wearing the betrothal gift Hiccup had given her. I remembered when they had fallen out once when Hiccup didn't notice before, so I found it admirable that Hiccup was now refusing to miss any detail to complement about his fiancé.

"You think Valka will be okay if I dress like this tomorrow?" Astrid asked as she sat up, with her usually confident tone letting in a tiny fractal of nervousness.

Hiccup sat on the bed with her, brushing her hair out of her eyes as he said "Astrid… you could be wearing a… _a dragon-skin co… no, uh… um… ugh, man…_ look, my point is that no matter what you wear, my mom's gonna love the fact that we're betrothed. But… _you do look fantastic._ "

Astrid giggled like an excited child, quickly pecking Hiccup on the cheek and wrapping her arms around his waist as they both lay back on the bed. I decided to sit in the corner and watch them lie down together, before Astrid said "so… tough day of chiefing?"

"Well, you know…" Hiccup groaned. _"The usual Ruffnut-Eret stuff… I'm just gonna take a break here for an hour…"_

"Hm... well, I'm sure you won't mind if I join you..." Astrid asked, though it was clearly a rhetorical question since they were already laying in a tight embrace. Hiccup chuckled as he nodded, before adding "well, let's just hope for the sake of the surprise that my mom doesn't come in and see you…"

 _"Should be fine…"_ Astrid said nonchalantly. _"I'll just go out your window. Heather told me that's how she was able to sneak out at night…"_

I noticed Hiccup going wide-eyed before slapping his palm against his face. He was probably mad at himself for how he refused to listen to Astrid when we first met Heather. He'd already been pretty mad at himself back when it happened, but Astrid's little revelation here clearly brought back some old, embarrassing memories.

Though none of us knew here that we were about to create yet _another_ embarrassing memory.


	4. Thought

Later that afternoon, I was waiting with Astrid and Ruffnut at the dock for the Bog Burglar's heir, Camicazi, to arrive as her tribe's representative for Stoick's memorial. Astrid had her hood and skirt back on, since she was saving her more bare look for the surprise. Though I wasn't entirely sure why we were waiting at the dock, since we knew already that we weren't waiting for a ship.

Thanks to the manual Hiccup had given her when she came to Berk at the last treaty signing, Cami now had her own dragon, and if her Terror-Mail letters were any indication, she couldn't wait to show off her new companion, much like Hiccup couldn't wait to introduce Cami to me that time. Her dragon was a female Hobblegrunt, or a _Mood Dragon_ as Cami called it, though her actual given name was _Furious_.

To be honest, I was genuinely surprised Cami hadn't given her dragon a name like Flystorm, Stormflyer or even just Stormfly, since she'd shown a particular liking to that name when the riders introduced her to the dragons last month. Though, seeing that she and Astrid had become such close friends in such an unnatural timespan, perhaps Cami wanted to avoid confusion if they ever went flying together.

But I digress. Furious landed on the dock and Cami got off, allowing us to see how much she had changed. She was still a head shorter than Hiccup, though her fur vest and yellow shirt had been replaced with thin, form-fitting armour not entirely dissimilar to Hiccup's outfit during our time at Dragon's Edge, with her two favourite swords now being held in a duel scabbard slung on her back.

 _ **"Hey, big fella!"**_ Cami said as she gave me her usual slap on the back of my neck, though unlike the first time I had _**no**_ urge to bite her hand off for it. Cami had visited at least three times since the treaty signing, so I'd gotten used to her being here almost as much as I had with Heather, Mala or even Dagur.

After being treated to one of Cami's tight, bone-and-rib-crushing hugs, Astrid immediately got up close and personal with Furious, who seemed to take a liking to her. Ruffnut scoffed as she stayed a few feet away with her arms folded, remembering what happened the first time Cami visited Berk.

 _"Aw, look at her… she's getting so big…"_ Astrid said as she scratched under the Hobblegrunt's chin. Cami chuckled, saying "yeah… so, how's things on Berk been, Astrid? You know, since… well…"

"Great. Never better, really…" Astrid sighed. "I mean, with Hiccup being the chief now, it's just… a little hard for us all to take in. But uh… Valka thinks it's time we push ahead with the wedding…"

 _ **"Whoa! That's great news!"**_ Cami said, shoving Astrid playfully. Astrid smirked, before saying "well, I say that, but… she doesn't actually know yet…"

 _"Wait, what?!"_

"Yeah… Hiccup didn't tell her yet. We thought we'd make it a big announcement for her… y'know, at the memorial, tomorrow night?"

 ** _"Aw, that'd be so cute!"_**

"I know, right? But Cami, you… you just gotta promise, okay? Don't mention _a word of it_ to Val…"

 ** _"Right, sure. Got it. Oh Gods, this is so exciting!"_** Cami squealed, struggling to contain her excitement as she gave Astrid another celebratory hug. _"Ugh… well, anyway… is Heather gonna be here?"_

"Yeah, tomorrow…" Astrid answered. "She and Windshear are on a tracking mission, but she'll be here for the memorial. Her brother's coming tonight though…"

 _ **"Ugh… Dagur?"**_ Cami said with an eyebrow raised and an obvious hint of disgust in her voice. Astrid and I had already heard Hiccup's many stories about Cami and Dagur's previous encounters. Even with our newfound friendship with Dagur, my personal favourite has to be the one about how Cami broke Dagur's nose after he tried to drown Hiccup when they all went swimming. He'd apparently been terrified of her ever since, so I couldn't help but be interested at how or if the two would get along now.

 _"Astrid?"_ Ruffnut suddenly broke her silence, prompting all of us to look at her. After a few moments of continued silence, Astrid shrugged and said "what is it, Ruff?"

"I was just thinking… are you _absolutely sure_ that you wanna tell Valka so soon?"

 _ **"What?"**_ Astrid and Cami both had an eyebrow raised as they spoke in-sync. Ruffnut walked a little closer, scratching roughly behind my ear as she said "well, it's just… if the wedding goes ahead, it's gonna take _a lot_ of time, and _a lot_ of effort to plan…"

"And what exactly is your point, Tuff?" Cami shrugged impatiently, prompting a scowl from Ruffnut. Ever since she'd met the twins, Cami had always called them each other's names. It's possible that her confusion was genuine the first few times, but it was clear by now that she knew _exactly_ what she was doing and saying.

Nevertheless, Ruffnut continued trying to make a point, rubbing her hand across the back of my neck as she said "well… I can't help but feel that Toothless here might feel a little… _left out_ , that's all…"

 _ **Left out?**_ How could I feel left out of _**anything**_ Hiccup or Astrid did? They'd never leave me out of _**anything**_ , especially not Hiccup. I was his soulmate just as much if not _more_ than Astrid was…

 _ **Wasn't I?**_

 _"Well… maybe a little…"_ Astrid sighed without much care, before turning to me with her usual warm smile. _"But he'll be fine… won't you, Toothless?"_

As she reached her hand forward to stroke under my chin as she usually did, I pulled away bluntly. I hadn't really thought about it and I was almost as surprised as Astrid was. It was more instinct than anything. Without a second to think I quickly turned around and headed back to the forge. What Ruffnut had said was making me think things, and not very positive things, and I just had to go think about how to _stop_ thinking them.

As I went, I heard Astrid sigh a little, clearly confused and disappointed by my suddenly leaving, before Cami shoved Ruffnut and said **_"nice going, numb-nut! You made him upset!"_**

 _"Me? What did I do?"_ Ruffnut asked, trying to sound innocent. She straightened her helmet after the force from Cami's shove tilted it slightly, before saying _"you guys go on ahead. I'll go clear things up with Toothless…"_

I grunted as I kicked the door open and went into the forge to sit down. _**Great**_. The last person I needed to talk to right now was on her way here to give me a one-on-one chat. Whatever she planned to say to me, this was _**not**_ going to be a comfortable experience.


	5. Offer

_"Hey, big guy… how are you doing?"_ Ruffnut slowly walked in to the forge and lay next to where I was sitting. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was trying her best to sound comforting to me, but I just rolled my eyes and turned away from her. She thought a little more about what to say.

"Look, Toothless… I'm _really_ sorry about that. I just said that because, well… I just wanna look out for you…"

Uh huh. Absolutely. I was _**sure**_ she did. Nevertheless, she sat next to me and patted my head gently.

"Because, um... _well..._ see, Toothless, marriage can be a _lot_ more complicated for humans than for dragons... and Hiccup's busy _enough_ as the chief of the village..."

I felt my face drop into a scowl as she kept talking, losing my patience as she tried to drag out her point. **_Come on, Ruffnut... there's something you want to say, so don't patronise me!_**

"If the wedding goes through... well... I'm worried that Astrid is gonna _replace_ you... like... _full-time..._ "

My head sunk as she said this. I should have easily brushed this off as just Ruffnut talking more nonsense, but I couldn't help but feel that there was genuine _merit_ to her words. Since their betrothal, Hiccup really _had_ been spending less time with me. He hadn't _meant to_ , obviously, and Astrid wasn't _intentionally_ trying to steal his attention, but she still was. It wasn't noticeable at first, in fact, I hadn't really noticed it at all until now. But the fact that _**Ruffnut**_ of all people had made this observation made it seem even more painfully obvious.

 _"So, I know it might be an unpopular opinion..."_ Ruffnut said as she scratched under my chin. "But I think, for _your_ sake, Toothless, that they should hold off on a wedding... so I think it's best Valka _doesn't_ find out yet, don't you?"

I wasn't sure how to answer this. If I'd known what Ruffnut was planning at this point, I likely would have refused, but she was starting to win me over with her attempt at reasoning. I looked up at her, as if asking her what to do, not noticing the door creak open.

"Well... don't you worry about Valka, big guy... I'll handle things with her..."

 _"Oh, hello there..."_ a voice suddenly said as we both looked up. It was Valka, standing awkwardly in the doorway having only heard Ruffnut's last sentence, and she was holding two empty sacks over her back that she slowly lowered onto the table. "Um... you're, uh... you're _Ruffnut_ , aren't you, lass?"

 _"Uh, yeah... yeah, I'm Ruff..."_ she said awkwardly as she got up on her feet and straightened herself up, trying to look presentable for the chief's mother. Valka was surprisingly endeared by this, grinning a bit as she said "well, you know... it's just come to my attention that I've been here for a week and I've not spoken to you _once_ yet, dear..."

"Yeah, I guess that _is_ kinda weird..."

Valka nodded, before saying "well, it's been a lovely introduction, but um... have you seen Astrid anywhere?"

 ** _"She's busy!"_** Ruffnut quickly said, prompting Valka's eyes to widen at her bluntness. After a moment, Ruffnut cleared her throat and said "um... sorry, but, uh... Astrid's just busy getting Camicazi settled in... you know, the uh...the Bog Burglar's heir?"

 _"Ah, Cami, yes..."_ Valka laughed. _"I've not seen her since she were a wee baby... well, she was bigger than Hiccup was back then, so maybe wee's too strong a word, ha ha... well, I'll look forward to seeing her later..."_

"Why not now?" Ruffnut asked with a genuine curiosity that I also had. Where was Valka going off to with those sacks, anyway?

"Oh, I'm just nipping off into the forest. If I'm going to build Cloudjumper a saddle, I'll need to top up the forge's wood supplies." Valka pulled out a small hatchet as she said this, but she was still a little disappointed. "I was hoping Astrid would join me... she's quite good with an axe..."

 _ **"I'll go!"**_ Ruffnut said quickly, her tone much more excited than it probably should have been. "I mean, ahem... I'll go with you... I'd hate for you to be _lonely_..."

 _"Aw, thank you, lass..."_ Valka said, clearly touched by the offer. "In fact, I'd rather _like_ to get to know you a little better, Ruffnut... shall we?"

"Sure thing! I'll just go get my dad's axe!" Ruffnut quickly slipped past Valka and ran back to her house. Valka chuckled at the sight of the girl nearly tripping as she shoved past her brother, turning back to me and saying _"well... she's quite a handful, isn't she, Toothless?"_

I nodded slowly. Reluctantly. It was at this point that I started to realise, after the Eret incident earlier, Valka was starting to get all the wrong ideas about Ruffnut. And more importantly, about Hiccup and Astrid.


	6. Talk

As Ruffnut and Valka went into the woods, I followed behind them, but kept my distance so that neither of them knew I was there. They stopped at a glade with plenty of trees, not that far away from the cove where Hiccup kept me after he shot me down, and I was perched on a high rock so that I could watch and hear them from above.

 _"So... when did you first see Cami, then? **HEEE-YAH!** "_ Ruffnut asked, throwing her father's axe vertically so that it split a short tree right down the middle. As she wedged the axe so that the trunk split in half, she kept her eyes focused on Valka, who was visibly impressed by how she had thrown the axe.

"Well, her mother and I have been friends for years, since we were a wee big younger than you, actually... Stoick couldn't stand Bertha, but I got along just fine with her... in fact, ha ha... I remember, um... _when I saw..._ when I saw Stoick again, he um... he told me that Bertha had never forgiven him for letting me be taken away..."

Valka was saddened by the thought of this, sitting silently with her hatchet hanging down. Even Ruffnut couldn't help but feel genuine sympathy, but she eventually said "well... you're back now, so... I guess Bertha can forget all about it..."

 _"I suppose..."_ Valka said with her cheery attitude back, before she aimed her own hatchet at a tree. I quickly hid a little lower behind the rock since she was looking in my general direction. _**"RRRRAAAGGGHHH!"**_ she cried out with surprising ferocity as she threw it spiralling into the tree trunk. The force of her throw caused the axe to tear straight through the trunk, causing it to split apart all by itself.

Ruffnut and I both went wide-eyed at this, as Valka turned back to her nonchalantly with a grin. It had suddenly occurred to us both that Hiccup's taste in women was _indeed_ inherited from his father after all.

As Valka went to get her hatchet, Ruffnut began to aim her axe at another tree. As she prepared to throw it, Valka then said _"so... how long have you known my Hiccup?"_

 _ **"WHAT?!"**_ Ruffnut was caught off guard by this, accidentally throwing the axe at a tilted angle and causing it to fly swiftly past the tree. _"Um... well... excuse me, just one second..."_

Valka sat on a rock waiting as Ruffnut went off to get it back, but I noticed Ruffnut had a small grin on her face as she figured out what to say. When she came back, the axe slung over her shoulder, she lay it down on the ground and said _"well... I never really talked to Hiccup until he started doing well in dragon training... nobody did, and I usually didn't care what people do, but Hiccup was acting weird... well... weirder..."_

I noticed Valka chuckle at this. She knew Hiccup took after her in many ways, one of which was his weirdness. But our village had plenty of room for weirdness since Hiccup and I ended the war, so they both felt right at home now.

"So... Hiccup was doing well thanks to Toothless, wasn't he?" she asked. Ruffnut nodded, saying _"yeah... and I was really bitter at first... I'd spent years trying to be the best Viking I could possibly be. Perfected my moves. I was gonna be the one to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, and I didn't wanna let this scrawny little kid win..."_

 ** _Was she really doing this?_** Yes, she was. As much as I wanted Ruffnut to seemingly help me here, I couldn't help but cringe as she tried to basically rewrite history, with herself taking Astrid's place. But, here we were, and I couldn't do anything about it.

 _"So the day before the final exam, I followed him to the cove... I was gonna teach him a lesson, if you know what I mean."_

"Go on..."

 _"But then Toothless came out. He obviously wanted to protect Hiccup and I begrudgingly thought I had to protect him. But he stood between us to protect us from each other..."_

"So... you were the first one to know about him and Toothless, then?" Valka asked. Ruffnut, after a brief moment of hesitation, nodded and said _"yeah... I tried to run off and tell everyone, but then they kidnapped me and took me on this romantic flight... it was so... so amazing... that's when I found out that dragons, and Hiccup, weren't so bad after all... so... we've been friends ever since..."_

"You mean the kind of friends that give each other bridal carries and kisses?" Valka snarked with an eyebrow raised. Ruffnut blushed a bit, saying _"aw, come on... that was just some... private stuff..."_

"Private? Darling, the _entire island_ saw that..."

 _"Well, my lips are sealed, Mrs Hiccup's Mom..."_ Ruffnut said, pursing her lips with her fingers as they both laughed. _"So... how about we get this wood back for your saddle?"_


	7. Miscommunication

Without Ruffnut or Valka's detection I set off back to the village, reaching the forge as I saw Hiccup, Astrid and the other riders next to it. It was just about sunset, and I noticed Sleuther and Shattermaster both sleeping with the other dragons and finally realised why Hiccup and the others were gathered there when I heard a familiar voice.

 _ **"Hey, brother!"**_ Dagur had Hiccup wrapped in a tight hug. Hiccup had gotten used to them by now, so he wasn't nearly as uncomfortable whenever one was given to him, just letting out a weak _"hey, Dagur..."_ as he was crushed.

"Well, Hiccup. I must say that Berk seems to be in ship-shape since your promotion..." the militant, deadpan tone immediately allowed me to identify Mala, who I saw standing behind her husband as he finally let Hiccup go. _"Obviously, a couple icebergs notwithstanding..."_

"Uh, yeah, well... I can't take the credit, Mala... it was a _team effort..._ " Hiccup said. Aw, he hadn't forgotten me at all. Ruffnut was wrong, and I was clearly just as important to him as I was bef... oh, wait, he was talking about Astrid... because of course he was...

He glanced at Astrid as he said this, neither of them even noticing me as they exchanged warm smiles before Hiccup turned back to Mala and said "and overall... I'd say we're all doing okay..."

 _ **"Well, well, well... is that Dagur the Deranged I see there with the messy hair and the dirty pajamas?"**_ Dagur went wide-eyed and froze on the spot as he heard Cami's voice. He turned with dread to face the girl, a smile forced onto his face as he said _"oh... hey, Camicazi... you've um... you've grown..."_

His eyes glanced down before going wide-eyed at her curve-hugging armour, particularly her cleavage that was only just visible. _"Wow, you really **have** grown... **OW!** "_

Mala stayed completely still, not reacting in the slightest as Cami responded to Dagur's remark with a blow to the stomach that had him lying on the ground. _"Okay... I figure I deserved that... good to see you, C..."_

"Hm. Good to see you too, Dagur..." Cami said, suddenly taking on a much warmer tone. Mala chuckled, turning to Cami and saying "well... I can see why he and his sister gush about you so much... I am Mala, by the way..."

"Cami. Good to meet you." she answered back as they shook hands. I was distracted from this amusement when I noticed Barf and Belch glancing near the edge of the village. I turned where they looked, noticing Ruffnut and Valka coming back. I quickly darted from the group, nearly knocking over Fishlegs as I ran back into the forge and sat where I had been sitting when the two left.

Valka came in alone, Ruffnut having already joined the others as they went up to the Great Hall. She smiled warmly at me, saying "she's a lovely girl, that Ruffnut... I can see why you like her so much..."

 _ **Like her? Ugh...**_ it was frustrating enough that Ruffnut had to rewrite my treasured memories with Hiccup and Astrid to fit herself in, but the fact that Valka _believed_ her lies made it feel even worse. I was afraid of losing Hiccup, yes, and I was also, though I refused to admit it, _jealous of Astrid_ , but they were and are my friends, and those memories are special to me, and always will be.

 _"Toothless..."_ Valka said as she looked at me. "You don't suppose... Ruffnut and Hiccup wouldn't happen to be... _you know..._ "

I was dreading the end of her sentence, but luckily our attention was diverted by the sound of familiar voices from outside the forge.

 ** _"But you can't mention a word of it to Valka, okay?"_** it was Fishlegs' voice, and Valka quickly hid against the wall. She pressed her ear to it in order to listen, as I noticed her face seemed to silently ask at least a dozen questions, the main one being something like _can't mention a word of **what** to Valka?_

I stayed close to Valka behind the pillar as we heard Snotlout say _"why not?"_

 ** _"Because Valka doesn't even know that they're betrothed yet…"_** we heard Fishlegs answer, prompting an audible sound of shock from Snotlout. I noticed Valka's face suddenly light up, before Fishlegs added ** _"that's why she and Hiccup are going to surprise her at Stoick's memorial tomorrow night…"_**

When the coast was clear and the two boys had left, Valka came out of her hiding spot and rubbed her hand across my head affectionately.

 _"Ooh, I do love surprises, Toothless… well, at least good ones…"_ she sighed happily. _"Ah, those two, darling lovebirds..."_

She seemed practically giddy as she bent down to my level and said _"now, Toothless… Hiccup and Ruffnut can't know that I know about their little surprise, alright?"_

My eyes went wide as I felt the already deep problem suddenly plummet even further into the ground. Nevertheless, I remained silent, which Valka mistakenly took as a yes. _"Right then... ooh... I'm so excited I can barely control myself. Ha ha... right. I'll get back to the house, and try not to spoil this whole thing, eh?"_


	8. Arrangement

About half an hour later, I went to the Haddock house, kicking the door open with my front leg. I saw Valka in the living room, and she was frantically ploughing through the drawers and desks trying to find something. _"Come on, Stoick... where did you put it?!"_ she muttered in a frustrated tone to herself, nearly throwing the desk over before she noticed me. _"Ah, Toothless. Good. I could use a search party..."_

 ** _A search party?_** What did **_she_** have to search for?

 _"Right, dear."_ Valka got to my level and pulled out a small sheet of paper. She unfolded it, holding it up to me as she said _"I'm just looking for this..."_

I looked at the sheet, seeing a drawing of Valka and Stoick at their wedding. Stoick's beard was much less thick than it was when I knew him and he had a different helmet on, but Valka was wearing Astrid's necklace around her neck in the picture. Since she hadn't known about the betrothal until about half an hour ago, it made sense that she'd think her original betrothal gift would still be somewhere in the house.

"Oh, hey guys. What's going on..." Hiccup said as he came into the house, before his eyes widened a bit as he saw the mess that Valka had made in their search. Valka paused awkwardly, glancing around to see the wreckage for herself as she said "oh... um... _nothing_ , dear. I was just... um... _cleaning..._ "

"By... making everything even messier?"

 _"Yes."_ Valka said bluntly, seeming almost offended by Hiccup's questioning. She then got up from my level and said "so... Hiccup, dear. By any chance... would you know where my betrothal necklace is?"

Hiccup went wide-eyed again, before saying _"uh... your what?"_

"You know, from this picture..." Valka opened the page for Hiccup to see.

 _"Oh... that, well... um... I, uh... I... I think it moved it... elsewhere..."_

"I see... and _where_ is elsewhere, precisely?"

 _"Ugh... look, Mom. I'm really preoccupied right now... So I'll tell you what..."_ Hiccup took his mother's hands with a smile. _"I'll help you look for it after the memorial tomorrow. And who knows, it might even show up before then..."_

 _ **"Hm..."**_ was the noise Valka made in response, having seemingly caught on to what Hiccup was hinting at. As she went up to her bedroom, Hiccup patted my head and said "hey, bud... sorry I've been a little caught up today... what do you say we take a flight up to Raven Point, huh?"

I licked his face affectionately, absolutely thrilled to finally have Hiccup to myself for a little while. He understood my answer, saying "great. Come on, let's go!"

He opened the door excitedly, both of us freezing as we saw Astrid about to knock. She went wide-eyed as it opened, saying _"oh, hey guys..."_

 _"Astrid, hi... **WHOA!** "_ Hiccup said, grunting and laughing as I tried to push him further out the door. Astrid just narrowly got out of the way as I barged past her with Hiccup sitting on my head, drooping myself slightly so that he landed on the ground. _"Thanks, bud..."_ he snarked, dusting himself off as he got up and turned back to face Astrid.

She pointed upwards, silently mouthing the words _"is your Mom home?"_ to which Hiccup nodded silently. Astrid closed our front door so that Valka couldn't hear her, and said "so... are you ready?"

 _"Uh... what for?"_

Astrid crossed her arms with an eyebrow raised and a grin on her face, saying "seriously? You forgot we were supposed to have dinner tonight?"

 _"Oh Gods..."_ Hiccup slapped his own forehead and groaned at himself. _"Right, well... luckily, I am pretty much ready... uh... sorry, Toothless..."_

 _ **"Sorry? What for? What's wrong?"**_ Astrid asked frantically, looking at me with concern. Hiccup sighed, saying _"no, it's nothing. I just... I was just about to take Toothless flying..."_

Because _of course_ he was going to choose dinner with her over flying with me... stupid Vikings and their _hormones_ , making them forget their real commitments!

"Oh... well, that's fine. We can eat when you guys come back..." Astrid said in her usual warm tone. "Or I could pack some food and come with if you want... I mean, Stormfly's all ready to go... wait... _Toothless?_ "

I'd already walked off in a huff as she was talking, heading over to the forge as Hiccup and Astrid both watched me leave. _"Aw, Toothless... come on, bud, don't be like that..."_ Hiccup whined, but I wasn't listening as I simply stormed into the forge and kicked the door shut behind me.

I could still hear them talking outside, Hiccup groaning as he said _**"ugh... what has gotten into him?"**_

 _"I... Hiccup, I don't know... he was acting a little off with me when Cami arrived too..."_ Astrid answered, thinking back to when I didn't let her scratch under my chin. Hiccup sighed, saying "great... well. I guess that means I'm free for dinner after all, ha ha..."

Even with the weak chuckle I knew he was hurt by what I'd done. They both were. I just felt so angry, so bitter, and I really wished that I didn't but I couldn't help it. It was my nature to be a little possessive of Hiccup, and with Ruffnut's help I couldn't help but feel that Astrid was the _last_ person I wanted to share with him, even though she was usually the _first_.

I peeked through a hole in the door, watching the couple walking hand-in-hand up to the Great Hall. Any other day, my heart would have been warmed by this, but now it **_boiled_** with rage. I already let Ruffnut's words get to me before, but now I was starting to take them to heart. Valka could _not_ bless Hiccup and Astrid's marriage. My friendship with Hiccup _depended_ on it.


	9. Action

I slept in the forge that night, being awakened by the sound of one of the roosters crying out at dawn. I opened my eyes slowly, suddenly jolting up as I saw Ruffnut standing over me confidently.

 _"Hey, partner..."_ she said smugly, before getting down to my level and patting my head. _"I heard about last night... but, you know, I **did** tell you this was gonna happen..."_

I nodded slowly, and Ruffnut said _"well, just leave it to me... be at Astrid's house when she's feeding Stormfly, okay?"_

* * *

It was nearly sunset as I sat near Astrid's house, right where Ruffnut had told me to be. I glanced up at the Great Hall, seeing several Vikings already being up there to prepare for Stoick's memorial. I could see Astrid was feeding Stormfly, just like Ruffnut said, and she'd discarded her hood and skirt, just wearing her red shirt and black leggings with her boots. She had her betrothal necklace on, and as Stormfly ate, she was frantically trying not to get dirty.

She was trying to be presentable, but she was better than that. She was stunning, and I almost forgot about my animosity before she was done she turned around and noticed me. "Hey Toothless..."

I remained silent, almost ignoring her. She sighed, both out of sadness and annoyance, before walking over to me and sitting next to me. "Toothless, if this is about last night, then I'm really..."

 **"Astrid..."** a voice suddenly said to interrupt her, prompting us both to look up. "Oh... hi Ruff... what's up?"

"I got some bad news..." Ruffnut said, trying to sound upset. "Eret and I broke up..."

"What?! Aw, Ruff, I'm so sor..." Astrid said, before raising an eyebrow. "Wait... you guys were actually dating?"

Ruffnut was clearly pissed off by this comment, but regained her composure as she said "but... it's okay. I've moved on. In fact, I'm already in love with someone else..."

"Oh, great..." Astrid said, smugly grinning as she said "so who's the unlucky guy? Snotlout?"

Ruffnut shook her head, surprising Astrid a little. "Fishlegs?"

Ruffnut shook her head again, prompting Astrid to take a little time to think. "Ooh! It's Throk, isn't it?"

"Ha ha... no..." Ruffnut said teasingly. Astrid said "well, come on, Ruff. The only other guy I can think of is your brother and we both know that ain't gonna fly..."

"But, also... I may or may not have ruined your surprise..." Ruffnut said, trying to sound innocent. Astrid went wide-eyed, but surprisingly wasn't mad, saying "oh.. you told Valka about me and Hiccup..."

"Yep..." Ruffnut answered, clearly building up a bombshell to drop. Astrid quickly shot up excitedly, saying "and... what was her reaction?"

"Well... _shehatesthethoughtofit_..."

"What?"

 _"She-doesn't-approve..."_

"Ruff, I can't understand when you mumbl..."

 ** _"She doesn't approve of you and Hiccup being together!_ "** Ruffnut said, prompting Astrid to nearly collapse as she gasped in shock. I thought I was going to have to catch her, but she managed to balance herself again, hyperventilating as she clutched her necklace tight.

 _"But... but I thought sh... she **liked** me, I... I thought that... that miserable... feral... dragon-breeding... **OLD HAG!** "_

She grabbed her axe from next to Stormfly's pen and threw it aggressively with an ear-piercing **"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH!"**

I lowered my head a little and Ruffnut took a few steps back as Astrid stood there frozen for a few moments, her face boiling red with rage with her fists clenched. It took about a minute for her to keep breathing again as she loosened her hands again and her skin returned to it's usual colour.

 ** _"How dare she do this to me! How dare she!"_** Astrid stamped her foot on the ground. **_"Abandons Hiccup for 20 damn years to be some dragon-screwing hermit and thinks she can just come back and be all... ooh, all is forgiven and Mommy knows best, Hiccup. She decides how you live your life and who you live it with even though she was never there to even see it until now. Ugh! I hate her! I HATE HER!"_**

She was mad. Simple as that.

"You know what... _screw it_... I'm not letting her take Hiccup without a fight..." Astrid said, her cheery personality suddenly coming back. "I'm gonna go talk to Valka right now..."

"What?! But Valka said tha..."

 _"Come on, Ruff, don't be a pessimist!"_ Astrid scoffed. Ruffnut said "but... but what if she still says no?"

 _"We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard... besides... she's not Drago Bludvist... she can be reasoned with..."_

Ruffnut scowled as Astrid said _"I'll just change her mind. Easy as that..."_ snapping her fingers casually to try and visualise her point. She picked up her axe and slung it over her shoulder, petting my head affectionately as she began to walk towards the Haddock house.

"Astrid, I don't think you'll be able to do that..." Ruffnut said slyly, a surprising amount of menace in her tone. I was even more surprised when she grabbed the shovel that was next to Stormfly's pen once Astrid had turned her back.

Astrid scoffed arrogantly, turning back to face Ruffnut and saying _"well... why not?..." **WHACK!**_

She groaned and her eyes rolled back as she closed them and collapsed like a ragdoll onto the ground, stunned to the point where she was nearly unconscious. Ruffnut threw the shovel on the ground, allowing me to see the dents that Astrid's face had made in the metal, before bending down to Astrid's level. After slapping Astrid's face lightly several times to no reaction, she giggled excitedly, pulling Astrid to her feet as she turned back to me and said "alright, Toothless. Help me lock her up..."

 _Lock her up?! As in, lock and key, lock her up?_ It was at this moment that I began to come to the sense that this had gone and was still going too far.

 **"Come on! Hurry!"** Ruffnut snapped again, but I was too distracted and stunned by all that had just happened to acknowledge her. "Toothless?... **Toothless!** "

I still stood still, my eyes fixed on Astrid's body, before glancing up to see Ruffnut **boiling** with fury and stress. She was angry, at **me**.

 **"Ugh! Come on, you stupid dragon!"** she shrieked through gritted teeth. She raised her hand aggressively as my eyes went wide. She was going to **HIT** me! No, she couldn't! Hiccup would **never** do that, and neither would Astrid! Too shocked to defend myself and too confused to stop her, I quickly cowered back to await the blow.

It didn't come, and I opened my eyes to see Ruffnut staring at me in confusion. She stayed like this for a few seconds, before glancing up to see her still raised hand.

"Oh... oh my Gods!" she was even more shocked than I was, quickly putting her hand down and turning back to me. **"I... I-I-I'm... Toothless, I'm so sorry... I'd... I would never... oh, Gods, I am so..."**

I straightened up a bit and relaxed, glad that she had refused to give in to her thoughtless rage. After about ten seconds of this self-loathed babbling, she took a deep breath and exhaled, getting down to me level and saying in a calm tone "Toothless, I am so sorry. I would _never_ hurt you, or hit you, whatever. Who would I be to treat my soon-to-be dragon in-law like that...?"

Dragon in-law? I was far more shocked by this than I was about her near-assault. I remained wide-eyed, slowly following Ruffnut as she dragged Astrid's limp body by the leg, down a hill toward the dragon stables. She found an empty pen at the end of the stable. It had a metal door and was made for solitary confinement. "Perfect..."

She opened the door and left Astrid on the ground in there. My eyes remained fixed on the scene as she bent down to Astrid's level again. "Ooh, I'll need that..." she muttered quickly, swiping the betrothal necklace off of Astrid's neck and putting it on her own neck.

 _"R... Ru... Ruff...?"_

"Oh, uh... hey, Astrid..." Ruffnut said, slowly walking backwards out of the pen. I noticed Astrid struggling to open her eyes as she latched onto the wall to pull herself up. _"Why did you... why did you hit me with a shovel...?"_

"Um... yeah, it's... it's uh... it's complicated, okay?"

Astrid felt her chest, her eyes widening a bit as she noticed something missing. _"Wait, where's my, uh... my..."_

She went silent as her eyes suddenly sharpened, becoming a deathly glare as she looked down at Ruffnut's neck. _"Ruff... why is my necklace there?!"_

"Like I said... complicated..." Ruffnut said weakly. Astrid's energy suddenly rushed back to her as she clenched her fists and realised what was happening. **"Why you slimy little piece of..."**

 **BANG!** Ruffnut quickly slammed the metal door shut and locked it tight. Less than a second passed before we heard the furious **BANG! BANG! CLANG! BANG! CLANG! BANG!** of Astrid's fists from the other side. **"RUFFNUT! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"**

Ruffnut slowly sneaked to the door, trying to sound comforting as she said "Astrid, I didn't know how else to tell you... Valka was pretty insistent you weren't right for Hiccup..."

 **"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, NOW OPEN THIS DOOR!"**

"I can't..."

 **"AND WHY NOT?!"**

"Well, funny world we live in... it turns out that I'm in love with **your**... or should I say, **my**... boyfriend now... sorry, Astrid..."

 **"RUFF! IF YOU LAY SO MUCH AS A FINGER ON HICCUP, I AM GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"**

"Aw, come on Astrid... I want you to be maid of honour... otherwise, I'll have to invite Cami..."

 **"IF YOU HAD ANY HONOUR, YOU'D OPEN THIS DOOR SO I COULD KICK YOUR ASS!"**

"Yeah, nice try, sweetie..." Ruffnut said smugly. "Valka doesn't want you together and even **Toothless** doesn't... face it, Astrid. You guys just weren't meant to be..."

 **"Y'know, Ruff... when I get outta here, you're actually gonna be lucky..."** Astrid snarled viciously, a sarcastic tone in her voice. **"Most people only have two boots, but you're gonna have an extra one... RIGHT UP YOUR C..."**

Ruffnut placed her fingers in her ears to avoid hearing the rest of Astrid's rant, turning to me with a wink as she slowly walked out of the stable. Before she closed the main stable door, I turned back to the cell Astrid was in as she continued shrieking like an animal. I turned back to Ruffnut, who gave a beckoning gesture. I reluctantly followed, allowing her to shut the door as Astrid's noise was now cut off.

"Don't feel guilty, big guy..." Ruffnut said, suddenly speaking in a warm tone as she rubbed the back of my head. "This is best for everyone... or at least, for me, you and Hiccup... right?"

I remained silent, prompting Ruffnut to scoff as she said "ah, don't worry... you'll get over it..." as she quickly shot off to her house to get dressed for the memorial. Was I really going to let this happen? This shouldn't have been anything more than petty jealousy, and now I was helping Ruffnut to steal Hiccup for herself. I was so confused. I didn't know what to do...

I just had to get away from this stable and the girl trapped inside it before this tearing conflict ate me alive.


	10. Unravelling

The Great Hall was packed with Vikings from all over the Archipelago, all of them having come to pay respects to Stoick. I stood at a table where Hiccup was about to sit with Cami, Dagur, Mala and the others. He'd just given a speech, welcoming everyone to the memorial and recalling his favourite memories of his father. I remembered how he'd broken up practising this speech in private, but he'd pulled it off much better than either of us expected here.

He was perfectly relaxed, as I presume Astrid's plan had given him something to look forward to tonight, and was perfectly fine conversing with the others. As everyone laughed and reminisced, Hiccup looked at me and said " _hey, bud... I'm really sorry about yesterday... I just... I just overbooked..."_

I nodded slowly, still trying to process what I'd just seen Ruffnut do, before Hiccup noticed Eret sitting nervously across the table from him. He was curious enough to ask _"hey Eret. You okay?"_

"Oh yeah. I'm fine, Hiccup. Fantastic, actually..." Eret said, though there was still a hint of nervousness in his voice. "I'm waiting for this blind date Tuffnut and Dagur set me up with. But she's a bit late, I might add..."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at this, saying "uh... _okay._ Did they say what her name was?"

"Um... you know what, I can't bloody remember. I think it was something like um... _Hetty... or Harriet_. But apparently, I'll know her when I see her..."

"Well, good luck with that..." Hiccup said, before returning to mourning Stoick again. Cami was sitting on Hiccup's left, and patted him on the back saying "you gave a great speech, Hiccup..."

 _"For a boy, at least?"_ Hiccup snarked with an eyebrow raised. Cami shook her head, saying "no, I'm deadly serious."

They exchanged smiles, before we heard Valka's voice behind us. _"Hello son..."_

Hiccup lit up as he turned to face his mother when she sat next on his right. "Hi Mom..." he said cheerfully. Oh, if he only knew what was about to happen... if only any of them knew...

 _"So, Hiccup..."_ Valka said, trying to provoke a response. _"I was thinking that you were getting a little stressed out with your new position..."_

Cami nudged the others, who all looked excitedly at Hiccup, waiting for him to reveal the surprise. "Oh, yeah..." he said, trying to sound ignorant.

 _"I thought you might need someone special... you know... to share the burden..."_

"Hm... what kind of special someone are you talking about, Mom?"

 _ **"Oh for Gods' sake, I can't hold this in anymore, Hiccup!"**_ she said excitedly. _**"I know about your betrothal!"**_

 _"Oh..."_ Hiccup said as he and everyone else went wide eyed, a hint of worry in his voice as he added _"so... uh... do you like h..."_

 _ **"Are you joking? I'm thrilled! I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner, Hiccup. This is fantastic!"**_

"Oh, great!" Hiccup said. "Well, Mom. She's on her way here, now. _Oh, Gods._ I know Ast..."

"But y'know, I have to be honest, I always thought that _Astrid_ would be more your type, but I never would have thought that _Thorston_ lass would be so perfect for you!"

 _"Wait... what?"_

"Ever since her parents showed me her and her brother when they were wee babies... it never crossed my mind, but I went chopping wood with her... she's such a sweet lass, and I thought to me self... she'd be _perfect_ for my Hiccup, she would. And I suppose that brother hers makes a nice enough in-law..."

"Aw, thanks..." Tuffnut said, prompting a scowl from the others. They, and Hiccup, were still confused, as Hiccup said "Mom, what exactly are you talking ab..."

"Y'know. Ruffnut... your girlfriend..."

 _"Ruffnut... Girlfriend?"_

"Oh aye, don't bother denying it now, son. I saw you two love birds yesterday. She was attacking that Eret lad and Skullcrusher put her up on that perch, and you, the big dashing hero, went to save her. _Ah, to be young, wild and have your father by my side again. So romantic..._ "

"Yeah, well... see, Mom, uh... Ruffnut isn't actually m..."

 _ **"Hi honey!"**_ Ruffnut said as she ran over and sat on Hiccup's lap. Everyone else looked with wide eyes as she rested directly on his crotch, trying to get in an almost sexual position, and one that made Hiccup _very_ uncomfortable. She grabbed his collar and yanked him towards her, planting another deep, uncomfortable kiss on his lips.

"Aw, look who's here... _the woman of the hour..._ " Valka said warmly. "I'm sorry to ruin your wee surprise, Ruffnut, but Hiccup over here was just telling me the truth about your little relationship..."

 _ **"Oh, he was... Aw, I'm so proud of you, babe!"**_ Ruffnut wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck and hugged him tightly, putting his head dangerously close to her cleavage, which she had due to wearing a much tighter-fitting shirt. Hiccup didn't care about this, however, since he was too busy noticing that Ruffnut was wearing Astrid's betrothal necklace.

As Valka went to get drinks for them all, everyone else watched as Hiccup pulled himself out of Ruffnut's embrace and snapped **_"Ruff! Where is Astrid?!"_**

 _"Oh, uh... she said she hated having Valka for a mother-in-law so... she killed herself..."_ Ruffnut lied unconvincingly. _"She said I could have you, though..."_

 _ **"What?! No she didn't! Ruffnut, where is she?!"**_

Cami was about to grab Ruffnut to ask her herself, but Ruffnut suddenly wrapped Hiccup into another embrace as Valka came back with drinks. _"So, tell me..."_ she said. _"When did you two decide to make it official?"_

I couldn't bear to see Hiccup like this, trapped between an ignorant mother and his annoying friend who was trying to pass him off as her lover. I looked at the others, and all of them, even Dagur, seemed to have a look on their faces that asked one question: **_Where Is Astrid?_**

I turned away from the table and ran out of the Hall, heading down the empty village, past the broken perch Ruffnut had fallen from, to the stable where Astrid was held. I _had_ to put this right. For Hiccup's sake. And everyone else's.


	11. Penance

_**"Hello?! Hiccup?! Anybody?! UGH!"**_ I heard Astrid grunt from behind the door as she kicked it with a loud _**CLANG!**_

Using my leg to lift up the latch over the door, I went into the pen to see her sitting down on the ground, and I was cut to the core by the sight of her, sitting huddled in the dark corner.

She was covered in dust and straw, her hair was a mess and her cheeks were a bright shade of red, clearly implying that she'd been crying. She wasn't seriously injured, but her hands were red and her knuckles were covered in tiny, bloody cuts from punching and pulling at the door.

Her face lit up as she saw me and shouted _**"Toothless!"**_ before she quickly shot up and wrapped her arms around my neck. _"Oh, thank Gods..."_

It seemed that she had been unaware of the part that I'd played in Ruffnut's plan, as she groaned and said _"that... that stupid Ruffnut locked me in here... she's gonna try and screw up the whole announcement... Toothless, she... she told me that... that you **hate** me..."_

My eyes went wide as she separated from me, holding either side of my head as she said _"Toothless, you... you don't, do you?"_

I remained silent, a look of regret in both our eyes. Astrid was waiting anxiously for an answer, and I saw some more tears stream her face as she shook me violently and said _**"Toothless! I need to know!"**_

I sighed, before shaking my head slowly. Astrid was confused, stuttering angrily as she said _**"then why were you being so... so... so stupid?! So ignorant?! Why were you trying to avoid me?!"**_

She looked me in the eyes. Astrid had this uncanny ability of reading Hiccup and myself just by looking in our eyes. I don't know what it was, but she somehow managed to get entire stories out of eye contact. _"Toothless... you're not... are you **jealous** of me and Hiccup?!"_

 _ **BINGO!**_ I nodded anxiously, feeling both ashamed and embarrassed about what my jealousy had allowed to happen. Astrid laughed at the thought of this. Not a happy laugh, but clearly an out of breath and still concerned laugh. She then looked at me, and I was surprised to see that _she_ had an apologetic look on her face.

 _"Aw... Toothless, I'd never replace you..."_ she threw her arms around me again, now being the one _giving_ the comfort rather than _seeking_ it from me. _"I love you just as much as Hiccup does... Toothless, you're a part of his family... **our** family..."_

She separated herself from me, saying _"and you always will be... I'm not gonna come between you two... not **now** , not **ever**... I... I just..."_

Astrid laughed as she nearly fell back after I licked her affectionately, groaning "aw, come on, man! Hiccup says that doesn't wash out!"

We were both smiling as Astrid slowly got back up on her feet, looking at the mess my saliva had made on her clothes and hair. She simply shrugged it off, since all the time she'd spent in that dirty cage meant she was far past looking presentable. Or clean.

 _"Well..."_ she sighed, a sudden determination coming back to her. _"Guess it's time to get our Hiccup back from those two psychos..."_

 _ **Our**_ Hiccup. That was more like it. Not _**her**_ Hiccup. Not **_my_** Hiccup. _**Our**_ Hiccup. Astrid grinned at me as she bent down to my level.

 _"Toothless… all I want you to do now is go up to the Hall... just make sure that you get Hiccup out of there before it gets messy… okay?"_


	12. Challenge

I went silently into the Great Hall, quickly scurrying back over to the table where Hiccup and the others were still sitting uncomfortably as Ruffnut and Valka carried on their playful banter. As they talked, I began pulling at Hiccup's sleeve to get his attention, prompting him to turn to me with a grin as he said _"oh, hey bud… did you find Astrid?"_

I nodded, before Valka suddenly turned back to Ruffnut and said "so, have you any idea on when I can expect to see some _grandchildren?_ "

Hiccup went wide-eyed and red at this, and frankly, I didn't blame him. Even he and Astrid hadn't thought about the possibility of offspring, yet here his mother was, trying to ask for some from the wrong girl. I felt myself scowl as Ruffnut wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck again, saying "well, you know… we'll get right on it, once Hiccup here decides to show me his, uh… _unclassified dragon…_ "

Both Hiccup and I cringed at what she had just said, though my ears pricked up a bit at the sound of the main doors opening as Ruffnut said "but we're both just _so thrilled_ that you're giving us your blessing for our…"

 _"You know what, Ruff?!"_ Hiccup suddenly interrupted, prompting both Valka and Ruffnut to look at him. _"You guys aren't probably gonna like this, but I have something to s..."_

 _ **"RUFFNUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!"**_

 _"Oh, thank Gods… Astrid!"_ Hiccup was relieved when she came over, her already bloody fists clenched on her axe with a furious red beaming from her scowling face. Ruffnut went wide-eyed as Astrid's blue eyes pierced her like a knife, remaining fixated on her prey as she arrived at the table.

"Ah, hello Astrid. I'm very glad you're here, dear…" Valka said, blissfully unaware of _how_ or _why_ Astrid was as dirty and angry as she was. "I was just about to give Hiccup and Ruffnut here my blessing. Isn't that gran…"

 _ **"Shut up, Valka!"**_ Astrid aggressively turned her head to Hiccup's mother, pointing the axe towards her as she said _**"if I wanted you to talk, I'd have my hand up your ass working you like a puppet!"**_

Valka gasped, being shocked, confused _and_ offended by Astrid's fury, before saying _"whatever's gotten into you, lass?"_

 _ **"Oh, you know all too well what's gotten into me!"**_ Astrid scoffed as she continued pointing the axe at Valka's throat. _**"I'll take care of you in a minute… right after I kick this backstabbing, boyfriend-stealer's ass!"**_

 _"Well, that went well…"_ Hiccup snarked to himself as Astrid grabbed one of Ruffnut's braids with her free hand, dragging her screaming to the door and throwing her outside. As Astrid went outside as well, Valka looked at Hiccup, and then at me, an anxious yet excited grin on her face as she said _"I've got to see this!"_

Hiccup and I both went wide-eyed as Valka quickly got up on her feet and ran out the door to see what was about to happen. Hiccup looked at me, before following his mother as Cami, Dagur, Mala and the other riders followed as well. I'll be the first to admit that it was _my_ jealousy that caused this to happen, but I'll also be the first to point out that this was the best way to make things _right_.

I stood at the top of the stairs with the riders, all of us remaining dead silent as Astrid walked down the steps to where Ruffnut was picking herself up off the ground. Hiccup stepped forward a few paces, preparing to intervene, but I simply moved my tail in front to stop him. He looked at me and I nodded, prompting him to reluctantly accept that this wasn't his fight to stop.

 _"Well…"_ Ruffnut groaned as she got up and clicked her neck back into place. _"If you think I'm gonna let you be maid of honour now, you… **AAAHHH!** "_

 _ **SHHHHING!**_ Astrid swung the axe for Ruffnut's neck, the latter narrowly ducking as she lost her footing and fell back against a rock. She rolled out of the way as Astrid brought the axe down, jamming it into the rock as Astrid struggled to pull it out. When we realised the axe was stuck and Astrid wasn't going to be wasting energy pulling it out, Ruffnut smirked as she said "well, if you had any guts, we'd settle this like _real_ Vikings!"

I saw Astrid freeze as she heard this, before she turned around to face Ruffnut. She clicked her knuckles into place, before saying **_"fine… just means you're gonna die slower!"_**

 _"Show her what for, Ruffnut!"_ Valka called encouragingly, prompting Hiccup, Cami and the riders, including Tuffnut, to groan audibly as they rolled their eyes. I could tell that this comment by Valka also helped to infuriate Astrid even more, the latter going practically red-eyed as she charged towards Ruffnut with a loud _**"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!"**_


	13. Fight

_**"Oof!"**_ Ruffnut grunted as Astrid leaped up to tackle her to the ground. Astrid pinned Ruffnut on her back with her hands on her throat, while Ruffnut looked to her left to see some of the broken glass from the perch she had fallen from the day before. Once she managed to grab a shard, she gave a single _slice_ at Astrid's midsection with it, tearing through the fabric of her shirt and leaving a thin yet severe cut that led from her lower back to her stomach.

Astrid winced as this happened, putting one of her hands to Ruffnut's face to try and force her further into the dirt. Ruffnut still struggled to get up, before managing to open her mouth as she quickly sank her teeth into Astrid's hand.

 _ **"OW! You little weasel!"**_ Astrid shrieked as she pulled her bitten hand back, before cupping Ruffnut's face with one hand and sending the fisted other straight into her jaw. I noticed Ruffnut spit out three teeth as a small trail of blood leaked out the corner of her mouth, but she managed to kick Astrid off of her as they both ended up on their backs.

As they got back up, I saw Astrid press her hand to her stomach where the glass had cut her, noticing the patch of blood leaking onto her palm. When she saw it for herself she glared at Ruffnut again, before swinging with a left hook that sent Ruffnut spinning back onto the ground.

Ruffnut got back up as Astrid charged again, shooting her foot up so that it went square into Astrid's pelvis. The others all felt that blow for themselves, and even Valka let out a painfully sympathetic _"ooh…"_ as it happened. Hiccup was worried, and so was I, for that matter.

Astrid was winded by the blow, but she fought through it and swung her fist again, narrowly missing Ruffnut and allowing her to slash the same shard of glass across her left bicep and then down her right calf. Astrid was hurt by these too, and I saw painful tears form in her eyes as Ruffnut sent a cheap yet forceful punch into the side of her stomach that the glass had scratched before.

 _"Agh…"_ Astrid ended up on one knee as she clutched her side to hold in the blood. Ruffnut smirked, before returning Astrid's previous left hook so that Astrid was now the one vomiting blood face-first on the ground.

 _ **"Ha ha! That's my future daughter-in-law!"**_ Valka cheered, prompting a scowl from Hiccup before Astrid suddenly got up again and punched Ruffnut right in the throat, the latter choking a bit as she stumbled back and dropped the glass. Astrid didn't stop her assault, sending another shot into Ruffnut's stomach and then an uppercut that sent her back against the wall.

She then grabbed Ruffnut by the back of the head and flipped her up, sending her back-first onto the ground before swinging her leg back and shooting her kneecap into Ruffnut's face with an audible _**CRACK!**_ Regardless of who we supported, we all winced as we heard the sound.

 ** _"EEEEAAAAGGGGGGHHHH! AGH! AGH! OW!"_** Ruffnut cried uncontrollably as she held her now broken nose, which was spewing out blood as she got back up before stumbling onto her knees. I saw Astrid pull herself to her feet, her own injuries still oozing out blood as she walked over to Ruffnut. The latter scowled at her as she let go of her nose, letting it bleed profusely as she tried to hit Astrid again.

Everyone went wide-eyed as Astrid caught Ruffnut's fist, waiting a few moments before she pulled Ruffnut forwards and viciously twisted the arm counter-clockwise with an echoing _**CRICK!**_ causing it to go limp as Ruffnut landed hard on her back. With Ruffnut now more-or-less defenceless, Astrid landed hard on her opponent's stomach as she yanked the necklace off of Ruffnut's neck. She panted heavily as she held it, saying _"give up?"_

Ruffnut answered _"pah! Never!"_

 _ **"RRRRAAAGGGHHH!"**_ Astrid shrieked wildly as she began furiously pummelling Ruffnut's face with her fists. It soon became indistinguishable who the blood belonged to as it ended up on Astrid's face while Ruffnut was beaten to a black and blue mess.

 _"Ugh… what a waste…"_ Valka scoffed under her breath, clearly disappointed in Ruffnut's brutal defeat. She looked at Hiccup, saying "well, what are you waiting for, son? Do something, then!"

 _"Yeah, I don't think Astrid needs help, Mom…"_ Hiccup snarked. Valka said "aye, and she's currently beating your girlfriend to a pulp. Now do someth…"

 _ **"FOR GODS' SAKE, MOM, RUFFNUT IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"**_


	14. Revelations

Everyone's jaw dropped, mine included. We'd never heard Hiccup shout so loud at _anyone_ , and the last person we expected it to be towards would have been his own _mother_. It even got the attention of the Vikings that had been speaking in the Hall and prompted Astrid to cease her beating of Ruffnut as they both looked at Hiccup.

 _"Wait… what? What are you talking about?!"_ Valka said, still struggling to process this information. _"If she's not, then who is?!"_

 _ **"Astrid is, Mom. Okay? Gods, Astrid and I have been betrothed for over a year, it's what I've been trying to tell you all night!"**_ Hiccup shouted again. He turned back to look at Astrid, but she was already standing right in front of him and pulling him aggressively into a deep, well-deserved kiss.

Her face was still covered in Ruffnut's blood and her own, and by the time they separated it had even gone onto Hiccup's face and clothes. Having used the last of her adrenaline for that kiss, Astrid threw her arms around Hiccup's back and hugged him tightly, allowing him to return the embrace as he said _"Astrid, I… I love you…"_

 _"Yeah, I know… I know, and…. and I love you too…"_ Astrid was both panting and crying as she let herself be enveloped in Hiccup's arms, before shooting a venomous glare at Valka as she slowly pushed herself away. I stayed behind Astrid to keep her up, since she was still buckling at the knees due to dizziness, but she remained firm and confident as she pointed at Valka and adamantly said **_"and I don't care if you don't accept that!"_**

"What?! Don't accept? Astrid, I don't kn…"

 _"Hiccup and I **love** each other, Valka…"_ Astrid interrupted again, holding Hiccup close to herself as she continued with _"and we always will… even if the world stops turning and the sun falls from the sky… I want to be with him for the rest of my life… **and I don't need this stupid betrothal necklace, or your blessing!** "_

She then threw the necklace in Valka's direction, allowing her to catch it as she looked at it, then at Astrid. I stayed by Astrid's side as she put one hand on my head and the other around Hiccup's waist, saying _" **he's ours** … and if you don't wanna be a part of our family, then you can go fu…"_

 _ **"Oh, my darlings!"**_ Valka suddenly said, crying tears of joy as she wrapped both Hiccup and Astrid into a tight, motherly hug. She had a vice-like grip on both of them, but eventually let go once she realised that Astrid was still in a lot of pain from her injuries. Valka was laughing heartily as she tenderly wiped Astrid's bloodied, messy hair out of her eyes and cupped the girl's face affectionately. _"Oh, Gods, Astrid, I'm… I'm so sorry about this terrible misunderstanding… but you deserve this, dear…"_

Astrid smiled weakly as she let Valka put the necklace around her neck and said "I'm _proud_ , to call you my daughter, Astrid… and I couldn't be happier to give you my blessing…"

They were both gushing out tears of joy as Astrid dragged Valka into a tight embrace. Hiccup and I both smiled at each other, as any of the bitterness from our falling out seemed to disappear. I glanced to the ground where Ruffnut was, my eyes widening as I saw her slowly pull herself to her feet, her bloodied and battered face still fuming with rage.

 _ **"Astrid! You're not getting off that easy!"**_ she shrieked. We all groaned somehow perfectly in-sync, as Astrid separated from Valka and said " _ugh..._ Ruff, are you _actually_ serious right now?!"

Ruffnut ignored this, grabbing the glass shard again and running clumsily like quickly with an ear-piercing war cry. _**"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-OW!"**_

We all went wide-eyed as Ruffnut suddenly took a hard punch to the face that sent her off her feet and caused her to hit the ground hard. We were even more surprised by who had actually done it. _**"Heather?!"**_

"Hey guys..." Heather said with an awkward smile, squeezing the hand that she had just punched Ruffnut with. Cami was grinning as well, saying _"so... you're a little late, aren't you?..."_

" _Fashionably_ late, by the looks of things..." Heather snarked back, before saying " _so..._ what exactly happened here?"

 _"Well, I know it looks bad, but truth is, we're probably gonna laugh about this years from now..."_ Hiccup chuckled, before Astrid pointed to Ruffnut lying on the ground and added _"...even her..."_

Everyone laughed at this, before Heather turned to Dagur and said "so... about this, uh... _Eli_ guy you told me about...?"

 _ **"Eli?!"**_ Cami suddenly snapped, before a voice behind her said "it's actually _Eret_... and I assume you're Heather..."

 _"You assume correctly, sir..."_ Heather said, clearly surprised by how good-looking Eret actually turned out to be. I noticed Cami giving a furious, deathly glare to Eret as he took Heather's hand gently and said _"so... shall we?"_

 _ **"Hell... no..."**_ Cami muttered under her breath as she clenched her fists while watching the two go into the Hall. Was this _jealousy_ I detected? Well, whatever was going to come of this, I was sure it was going to be interesting. But I wasn't focused on that, at least not yet. I was focused on my own couple, as Astrid took Hiccup's hand and said _"so... remind me again... where were we?"_


	15. Tree

The next morning, Astrid led us both into the woods. Hiccup was blindfolded, so I had to stay next to him to make sure he didn't get his prosthetic caught on anything as Astrid dragged him excitedly by the arm.

"Okay, so where _exactly_ are we going?" Hiccup called. Astrid was still giddy as she said _"ugh... don't you know **anything** about surprises?"_

"Well, after last night I think we've had just about _enough_ surprises, don't you?"

 _"Trust me, Hiccup... this is a good one..."_ Astrid said as we suddenly stopped. _"Alright, we're here!"_

She took off Hiccup's blindfold, before his face suddenly dropped in surprise as he saw the tall tree they were standing in front of. It was fairly high, though it was slightly slanted at the top. I noticed it had a fairly large cut in the side of it, one that had clearly been done by Astrid's axe. There was something familiar about this tree, but I wasn't sure what it was yet.

 _"The day we came back from the dragons' nest... I made this mark..."_ she said warmly. _"I wanted to remember that day forever..."_

Hiccup smiled at her, before my eyes went wide as I finally realised where I had seen, or sat on, this tree before.

* * *

 _"Hiccup, get me down from here!"_

 _ **"You have to give me a chance to explain..."**_

 _"I am not listening to ANYTHING you have to say!"_

 _ **"Then I won't speak! Just... let me show you... please, Astrid..."**_

* * *

"Aw, Astrid..." Hiccup said as she took his hand. "It's _our_ tree..."

 _"Well..."_ Astrid pulled a small knife out of her pocket and quickly went behind the tree. I could hear the sound of the knife carving into the bark, before she turned back with a smile. _"It is now..."_

Hiccup and I went behind the tree to see what she had done to it. She'd drawn a heart shape into the side of the trunk, with two letters written inside it: _**H+A**_

Grinning widely, Hiccup pulled Astrid into a tight embrace before she separated from him so that she could plant a deep, passionate kiss on his lips. I sat there, smiling at the happy couple that only yesterday I'd been foolishly trying to break up. When they finally came out of the kiss, Astrid glanced at me with a grin, saying "aw... you didn't think I forgot about you, did you?"

They both smiled at me as Astrid got her knife out and quickly scribbled on the bark with it. I looked up to see her writing, noticing that right under _**H+A**_ she had put something else in bigger letters: _**And Toothless too!**_

My smile widened as they both hugged me tightly. I'd already become disillusioned with Ruffnut's lies the night before, but this mere sign of affection from them both was confirmation of everything that Astrid had told me. We _were_ a family. Hiccup and Astrid loved each other, but I still mattered. I was just as important to them as they were to me.

And I knew for a fact that I wouldn't trade them for _anything_ or _anyone_ in the world.

* * *

 **THE END**


End file.
